“I was like man that’s what I wanna do,” Josh Berry revealed on the Dale Jr. Downloaded. Over a decade ago, he’d watched his mentor and idol Junior win the Daytona 500 and keep things low-key when the celebration came. When the time came for Berry to take his spot in the Victory Lane. Berry stood on his car, soaking it in. No flashy spins, just a guy who’s “spent my whole life working on my own race cars.” That’s Berry—humble, heartfelt, and now a winner.
The Pennzoil 400 was his moment. Out there on the 1.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Berry snapped Christopher Bell’s three-race streak. But the destroyer of the streak himself isn’t looking to hype this win too much.
Some insiders found the hype around his win a little too much. But this didn’t stop veterans from showering praises on him. Richard Petty—yeah, the Richard Petty, a legend carved into NASCAR’s soul gave him a shout-out for that down-to-earth celebration. “But one thing Berry done that I really liked, he did not do a burnout. He loved that car. He didn’t abuse it. He got out and kissed the car. But the crew was trying to get him to do the burnout. I really like that part. I do, too. Yeah. Back then, after winning the race, you don’t need to show off. You just need to start thinking about the next one.” And that’s exactly what Berry did!
Speaking about it on the Rubbin’ is Racing podcast, Josh Berry said, “Yeah, I mean, it was pretty chill,” he said. “I’d have loved to maybe stay over there and win a couple hundred thousand dollars at a slot machine like Denny, but we were obviously busy at the track there for a couple hours and then flew home late that night. I got home about four in the morning, opened a beer and watched the last 75 laps on the broadcast. It soaked that in, and really from then on, when I woke up the next morning, we’ve been busy ever since.”
Now, as Berry mentioned, the lack of burnout was an inspiration from his long-time mentor, but it was also because of a habit. He once mentioned, “I’ve spent my whole life working on my own race cars, building race cars, got my ass chewed a couple times for doing burnouts when I shouldn’t and tore stuff up. I just want to soak in the moment.” Instead, his time is spent soaking in the win, as he’s done countless times in stock racing, but for the first time in the Cup Series.
Denny’s Vegas story is the flip side where he got $200,000 richer from slots only to face a fire scare back home.
Talk about a rollercoaster. Hamlin said after the race,
“It is so refreshing and great to see a self-made Cup Series driver like Josh to be successful.” That’s Josh Berry for you with his eyes on the next race, not the party.
Wood Brothers Racing, with its 74-year legacy. This victory’s a spark, and Berry’s the guy to carry it. It’s a huge deal for a 34-year-old who’s been grinding for years.
Even Jon Wood, President of the team, might agree. Speaking about their past wins, particularly the 2017 Pocono win and Burton’s exploits at the Coca-Cola 400. ““All three of those were either at the cut off or June or later. Harrison won his race to get in with three races to go. Blaney got in with a win at Pocono in June or July. So it was toward the tail end of the regular season. To do it now and be in the Playoffs just six races into the season—that shifts your thinking and your strategy. We go from trying to get stage points and decent results from a points perspective to where we’re racing for playoff points to hopefully have a bigger gap when the Playoffs start. And it’s not that we lucked up and won a plate race. Some people will put an asterisk beside a plate race. Josh is a contender.”
As Forbes’ Joseph Wolkin puts it: “Berry doesn’t come from a racing dynasty… he’s overcome plenty of adversity.” This win wasn’t just a trophy, it was proof he belongs.
Josh Berry’s Vegas Win Gets Overshadowed by Taylor Swift Buzz
Instead of soaking in that Josh Berry victory, everyone’s asking about Taylor Swift. Yeah, they went to the same high school, Wyomissing Area Junior/Senior High. Berry spilled, “It’s kind of one of those deals where so we did go to the same high school. I think she was a grade above me.” It’s a cool tidbit but it’s driving him nuts now.
He opened up more, “It’s sort of a thing that you mention one time, and you don’t realize how big of a deal it’s going to be. ‘Hey, tell us something about yourself!’ You mention it and it turns into a way bigger deal than you expect.” Imagine pouring your heart into racing, finally winning, and all anyone cares about is a pop star you barely knew. “I don’t care about Travis Kelce or whoever she’s with now,” he added, sounding fed up. “She was a grade ahead of me in school and that’s it.”
Berry’s tired of this. He’s not here for Swiftie drama, he’s here to race. That Vegas win on was his moment with 53 starts in the making. Anyone would be frustrated too. “Tell us something about yourself!” turned into a circus. Josh, we see you, it’s your win that matters. Let’s talk tires and tracks, not high school hallways. You’ve earned that spotlight, don’t let it get hijacked.
The post Josh Berry Opens Up on His No-Frills Vegas Celebration After Monumental Wood Brothers Win appeared first on EssentiallySports.
